It’s almost impossible to imagine what’s going on behind Simon Ciira’s face with his bright smile beaming at you, but he insists that for a community to thrive, it has to be about the other person. That’s what made his #NdotoZetu plight a favourite among his community members in Nanyuki.
Simon Ciira’s small deed is to help the disabled in his community. He shared his dream to help students at Likii Special School, Nanyuki. Click play to watch his story. #NaweKilaWakati #NdotoZetu pic.twitter.com/fy8wUxTFrT
— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) February 3, 2019
Simon’s dream is to see everyone around him uplifted and having even the needy get a sense of hope despite their current situation. “It’s very painful to see what the disabled go through. We often take for granted that we have two pairs of working limbs, eyes that can see, ears that can hear and the fact that we can use what we have to take care of ourselves day after day.
Most of the disabled members of our community live from hand to mouth, meaning when they don’t get, they don’t eat. Their resources are very limited and it gets to a point where even what they have doesn’t work. A good example is those who use wheelchairs. Some of them are worn out to the point where it’s a struggle to push them around. some of them don’t even have these wheelchairs and they end up hurting themselves even more from place to place.
As boda boda riders we sometimes move them from where they sleep to the town to beg and this really touched me. I wanted to help but I didn’t know how. From the town to Liki Special school where the kids share wheelchairs to our church, Jesus Ministry Fund, we have hundreds of disabled people who need help.
By God’s grace, Safaricom had a caravan and one of their agents approached me and told me about the Ndoto Zetu initiative. My immediate action was to submit my request to get more wheelchairs and my request was granted. Safaricom called me and told me they’d be giving us wheelchairs worth Kshs 200,000. I gave 2 to those on the street and 8 to the kids at the Liki Special School.
Simon’s Daughter
Simon also has a special inkling with this project. His only child Abigail, is also in need. He says that during her birth, the mother developed complications that left her too weak to continue pushing. This resulted in her needing emergency surgery but doctors didn’t move in haste. Abigail was then born with complications on the right side of her body which were discovered when she started walking. They noticed that her right leg would move with difficulty and her right arm was underdeveloped.
“We sought medical intervention but it wasn’t taken with the urgency required. She was given a special shoe which she was to wear at night but it didn’t do much as it was smaller than the size of her foot. We have since been looking for other ways of helping her but with my current financial situation, I haven’t been able to do much.
This doesn’t mean he’s given up. He actually says that the Ndoto Zetu initiative by Safaricom has been inspired him to do more for his daughter and other needy families in his area.
“The whole aspect of community is brought out when you do your best when possible. I’m doing the best for my family even as I try to do my best for others. This is why the Ndoto Zetu initiative is so important, because we want to leave no one behind.”
